Furniture foot or support structure

ABSTRACT

A detachable and stackable furniture support structure comprising a ring of sectorlike elements having a peripheral portion and two radial spokelike portions which meet in a central hub. The hub consists of two plates with the ends of the spokelike portions being fixedly secured therebetween. The hub is positioned at an elevation slightly above the plane of the peripheral portions of the sectorlike elements for permitting stacking of the foot structures. The hub preferably has a conical opening therethrough formed with a self-locking taper for permitting a bushing to be securely seated therein, which bushing rotatably accommodates a support pin which extends downwardly from an article of furniture.

United States Patent [22] Filed Dec. 13, 1968 [45] Patented Feb. 23, 1971 [32] Priority Dec. 22, 1967 [33] Sweden 54] FURNITURE FOOT OR SUPPORT STRUCTURE 2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs. [52] US. Cl 248/188.7 [51] Int. Cl ..Fl6m 11/20 [50] Field olSearch 248/l88.1, 188.8, 415, 163, 158; 108/15; 248/188.7

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,508,694 5/1950 Steed 248/l88.7 3,186,669 6/1965 Buhrmaster 248/158 3,208,795 9/1965 Schultz 108/150 3,438,606 4/1969 Rubin 248/415 Primary ExaminerEdward C. Allen Attorney- Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn ABSTRACT: A detachable and stackable furniture support structure comprising a ring of sectorlike elements having a peripheral portion and two radial spokelike portions which meet in a central hub. The hub consists of two plates with the ends of the spokelike portions being fixedly secured therebetween. The hub is positioned at an elevation slightly above the plane of the peripheral portions of the sectorlike elements for permitting stacking of the foot structures. The hub preferably has a conical opening therethrough formed with a self-locking taper for permitting a bushing to be securely seated therein, which bushing rotatably accommodates a support pin which extends downwardly from an article of furniture.

FURNITURE FOOT OR SUPPORT STRUCTURE The present invention is concerned with furniture components, more specifically with a detachable and stackable foot or support structure for such articles of furniture as primarily armchairs, and secondarily tables, standard lamps and the like.

There has long been a desire in the furniture industry to question and when treating the surface of said material. A

wire-rod structure which is first subject to a surface treatment process and then united with other components by means of screws, brackets, clamping devices, etc. is relatively expensive and time consuming in manufacture. Conversely, if the structure is in the form of a welded unit it is often difficult to obtain a surface finish of the desired quality. This, of course, is less true in the case of enamel finishes than galvanic finishes, but since enamel finishes are relatively expensive they can be excluded in the intended context I The invention provides a furniture support structure, e.g. a foot structure, made of wire-rod-material, which solves the aforementioned problems. The wire-rod support structure of the invention is in the form of a welded unit which, with excellent results, can be surface treated before being mounted to the article of furniture is question, and then joined to said article of furniture as aforementioned primarily as armchair. Another advantage afforded by the structure according to the invention is that the articles of furniture provided with such structures can be packed and transported in a dismantled condition to their place of destination, where they can be assembled without difficulty by the recipient. This latter feature offers a considerable saving in transport and storage costs.

The aforementioned advantages are gained and the disadvantages associated with known furniture support structures of the type intended here are removed by means of the present invention, which is mainly characterized in that the structure consists of a ring of sectorlike elements made of a wire-rod material, preferably steel wire-rod material, the ring comprising a peripheral portion and two radial, spokelike portions which meet in a hub member which includes two plates or rings, consisting of one upper and one lower plate or ring, the diameter of which is preferably less than that of the upper plate or ring, the ends of said segmental elements being inserted between the plates and welded thereto in such a way that the hub is somewhat raised above the plane through the peripheral portions of the segmental elements by which the foot support structure supports against the foundation.

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to a number of embodiments shown in the accompanying comprises six such elements 12, which are identical in shape and the radial sides of which subtend an angle of 60' Le. together form an angle of 360. The peripheral portions 12c of the circle sector-shaped elements together form a circular ring. In the illustrative embodiment, the radial members or arms (the spokes) 12a and 12b lie adjacent to one another and are joined underneath by short weld beads, wherewith it should be seen that the beads are. of such length that the structure does not warp or become deformed during the welding process. The free ends of the sectorlike elements, that is the inner ends of the radial arms 12a and 12b, extend to the proximity of the foot structure, where they are united by two rings or plates, an upper 14 and a lower l6, the latter 16 having a larger diameter than the former 14, in between which the ends of the sectorlike elements are inserted. This arrangement provides aconcentrated, central connection, since the ends of said elements are welded to both plates, first to the upper plate at 18 (see FIG. 3) and then to the bottom plate at 20. Because the diameter of the bottom plate is smaller than that of the upper plate 14 the weldsare completely hidden by said upper plate, even when viewed obliquely from above. The two plates 14 and 16 thus together form a type of hub indicated generally by 15, to which the sectorlike elements are joined.

drawings, further characteristic features of the invention being disclosed in conjunction therewith. In the drawing: I

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical foot support structure according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross section is larger scale through the line II-II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a fragmented portion of the hub of As will be seen from FIG. 2 the radial arms 12a and 12b are bent upwards to define a small angle a '(in the order of 8- 10) with the plane through the peripheral arms of the sectorlike elements, so that the hub 15 is situated at a distance h above the plane of the floor. This degree of conicity thus imparted to the foot structure enables it to be'stacked easily and affords a further advantageous characteristic, which will be disclosed below. The upper plate 14 is also preferably conical in shape, to conform to the inclination of the radial arms 12a, b,(FIG.2').'

Subsequent to welding the sectorlike elements to the hub, the two hub plates 14 and 16 are machined or worked with tapered cutting means (standard taper) to provide a conical hub opening 22. At this stage, the foot structure can be considered to constitute a complete, lightweight unit, joined by welds which are invisible externally. The entire foot structure can now be galvanized, whereupon as a result of the symmetry of the structure and the absence of shielded portions and densely positioned structure members a smooth and uniform surface finish can be obtained.

The foot structure 10 can now be assembled to an armchair or some other appropriate article of furniture by means of the conical hub opening 22. Suitably a sleeve 24 presenting a conical end 24a force fitted in opening 22 is used for this purpose. The sleeve is fitted with an internal bushing 26, preferably made of nylon or a similar antifriction material, in which a pivot pin which cooperates with a standard depending from the seat of the chair can be pivotally mounted in a suitable manner. FIG. 2 shows the sleeve-bushing combination 24- --26 in a position somewhat remote from the hub opening 22, it being intended that the combination 24-16 is forced downwards from this position in the direction of the arrow, to be fixed in and form a unit with the hub 15.

In addition to the advantages mentioned in the aforegoing the foot structure of the invention presents two worthwhile attributes. The first of these is the ease with which an armchair provided with, for instance, the foot structure of FIG. 1 can be moved in the absence of the conventional castors. The aforementioned pivot pin of the standard or post of the armchair is pivotally mounted in the bushing 26, which means that the foot structure can be made to function as a wheel, and the chair rolled across the floor on the peripheral portions 120 of the sectorlike elements.

The other attribute of consequence is the natural springiness of the foot structure. Because the hub 15, against which the weight of the chair and the person seated therein is applied, is located at a distance h above the floor, the entire foot structure will act as a rigid cup spring. The spring in the chair is not the great as to create a rocking or tossing" effect, but results in a gentle settling of the chair, to the comfort of the person seated therein.

FIGS. 4-7 show a number of difierent embodiments 30, 40, 50 and 60 respectively, of the furniture foot structure according to the invention. One feature common to all these embodiments is that they are composed of essentially sectorlike wire-rod elements welded to a central hub 35, 45, 55 or 65 consisting of an upper and lower plate, as described in the aforegoing. The foot structures illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 contain four and five elements 32 and 42 respectively, but are in other respects identical to the structure described above. The foot structure 50 illustrated in H6. 6 also contains six sectorlike elements 52, although in this instance the peripheral portions 520 are straight. This enables the sectorlike elements to be shaped more easily and provides a variation in appearance, although at the expense of the wheellike function of the foot structure when moving the article of fumiture. Finally, FIG. 7 shows a foot structure 60 which includes four sector like elements 62 spaced apart at an angle a. This foot structure is, of course, somewhat weaker than the aforedescribed, with respect to the springiness of the chair, for instance.

As is evident from the aforegoing, there are numerous ways in which the foot structure of the invention can be varied without departing from the inventive concept, and thus the invention is not restricted to the shown and described embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the following claims.

lclaim:

1. A detachable and stackable furniture support structure, particularly for an arm chair, comprising a ring of sectorlike elements made of a wire-rod material, each of said sectorlike elements having a peripheral portion and two spokelike portions which extend radially inwardly and upwardly relative to the respective peripheral portion, hub means centrally disposed relative to said ring of sectorlike elements and fixedly connected to the free ends of said spokelike portions for fixedly interconnecting said plurality of sectorlike elements, said hub means being disposed at an elevation above the plane defined by the peripheral portions of said sectorlike elements and including upper and lower plates with the lower plate having a diameter smaller than the upper plate. the free ends of the spokelike portions being positioned between said upper and lower plates and being fixedly welded to said hub means, whereby said ring of sectorlike elements and said hub means fixedly secured thereto defines a conical configuration for per mitting stacking of a plurality of support structures, said hub means having a central conical opening extending therethrough with said conical opening having a self-locking tapered configuration which converges downwardly toward the plane of the peripheral portions, and an annular bushing means disposed within said opening and lockingly secured to said hub means due to the tapered configuration of said opening, said bushing means having a central recess formed therein adapted to accommodate a downwardly extending pin mounted on an article of furniture.

2. A support structure according to claim 1, in combination with an article of furniture having a downwardly extending support means with said support means having a downwardly extending pin, said pinbeing rotatably received within the central recess formed in said bushing means for enabling relative rotation between said article of furniture and said support structure, whereby said support structure permits the article of furniture to be moved by being tilted and rolled on said ring of sectorlike elements. 

1. A detachable and stackable furniture support structure, particularly for an arm chair, comprising a ring of sectorlike elements made of a wire-rod material, each of said sectorlike elements having a peripheral portion and two spokelike portions which extend radially inwardly and upwardly relative to the respective peripheral portion, hub means centrally disposed relative to said ring of sectorlike elements and fixedly connected to the free ends of said spokelike portions for fixedly interconnecting said plurality of sectorlike elements, said hub means being disposed at an elevation above the plane defined by tHe peripheral portions of said sectorlike elements and including upper and lower plates with the lower plate having a diameter smaller than the upper plate, the free ends of the spokelike portions being positioned between said upper and lower plates and being fixedly welded to said hub means, whereby said ring of sectorlike elements and said hub means fixedly secured thereto defines a conical configuration for permitting stacking of a plurality of support structures, said hub means having a central conical opening extending therethrough with said conical opening having a self-locking tapered configuration which converges downwardly toward the plane of the peripheral portions, and an annular bushing means disposed within said opening and lockingly secured to said hub means due to the tapered configuration of said opening, said bushing means having a central recess formed therein adapted to accommodate a downwardly extending pin mounted on an article of furniture.
 2. A support structure according to claim 1, in combination with an article of furniture having a downwardly extending support means with said support means having a downwardly extending pin, said pin being rotatably received within the central recess formed in said bushing means for enabling relative rotation between said article of furniture and said support structure, whereby said support structure permits the article of furniture to be moved by being tilted and rolled on said ring of sectorlike elements. 